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and clean himself on emerging from the watei\ On placing the 

 male into it, he dived down and seemed to enjoy himself very much. 

 He was still lively, lying upon the surface of the water and scratch- 

 ing himself, and again diving and swimming among the weeds ; he 

 then went upon the level bank and again plunged into the water ; 

 after remaining there for nearly an hour, sometimes upon the surface 

 and often for a long time under water, he found his way into the 

 burrow, where he remained. I covered the whole of the cage with 

 zinc wire, by which means he had light and air, and we could ob- 

 serve all his actions. This was to prevent his escape, as he could 

 readily have climbed up the surface of the tub. There are openings 

 at each end of the cask, by which means we could draw off all the 

 dirty stagnant water, and replace it with clean, as often as was re- 

 quired. I fed the animal on meat minced very small, and then 

 thrown into the water. 



Both of these animals were captured in a net. The man who took 

 them stated he had kept two alive for fourteen days, feeding them 

 upon river mussels, which he broke and gave them in the water: 

 that they seemed to thrive very well ; and that he supposed that they 

 fed upon these mussels, as they had been in good health, their death 

 having been occasioned by accident. 



It surprises many why these animals, when captured in a net and 

 left all night, are found drowned in the morning. It is my opinion 

 that when one of these animals is captured in a net (as was the case 

 with a male specimen taken in that way a short time since in the 

 Mulgoa Creek, and found dead in the morning), it is entangled in 

 the meshes, and, being unable to rise to the surface to breathe, is 

 drowned. 



January 5th. — Last night I observed the animal emerge from the 

 water and enter the burrow : this was about 11 p.m. This morning 

 I did not see him in the water ; he appeared yesterday evidently 

 drooping and sickly, and I fear we have not yet got into the method 

 of feeding them. Their food being minute and delicate, it requires 

 some experience to give it to these peculiar animals successfully. On 

 opening the burrow the animal was not there, and on drawing off 

 the water we found him dead and stiff at the bottom. Having, no 

 doubt, been too weak to regain the burrow, he perished when in 

 the water. Thus ends the first experiment of keeping Duck-bills 

 alive. 



On dissection I found that they had been starved ; there was no 

 food or sand either in the intestines or pouches, — nothing but dirty 

 water. Should I procure other specimens, it is my intention to in- 

 troduce into my tank river-shrimps and insects of different kinds, 

 previous to placing them in it, so that they may obtain a sufficient 

 supply of their natural food. Still all this will increase the difficulty 

 of taking them to Europe, as the supply cannot be kept up at sea. 

 They evidently are very delicate animals, and life is soon destroyed 

 if nutriment is not rapidly kept up. These specimens were not 

 emaciated in body before they died. 



The testes in this male were very small, being not larger than 



